


Grantaire Never Claimed

by httpsawesome



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enjolras Is Bad At Feelings, Grantaire Has Self-Esteem Issues, Insecure Grantaire, M/M, Other characters are mentioned but those are the only ones that speak, Pining Enjolras
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 01:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12830076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/httpsawesome/pseuds/httpsawesome
Summary: Grantaire is difficult for Enjolras to figure out, especially when they argue about so much. Enjolras finds out he knows very little about him at all.





	Grantaire Never Claimed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! As usual, this is a ficlit bc inspiration struck me and I pretty much just threw words on the page. No beta, but I did try to fix any mistakes if they're there I'm sorry!

Grantaire never claimed to be a poet, but they met because of Jehan and the two of them obviously had to share a love of something. Jehan has a love of the words, the history, the context, but Grantaire must love something else. The first day he comes to a meeting Enjolras plans on introducing himself to him when it’s all over, but Grantaire takes one look at him and quotes something at his face.  

“Matters that vexed the minds of skeptics are now seen in Reason’s light.” He said, in lieu of a hello.

“Okay.” Enjolras said.

“Ode to Isaac Newton!” Jehan clapped his hands excitedly. “I haven’t heard that one in a long time. Though you didn’t need to change the words.”

“Death of the author, my friend.” Grantaire swung an arm around his shoulders and they took a seat. Enjolras was thrown off for a solid minute, but got back into the swing of things when reminded of the cause of the week.

 

Grantaire never claimed to be politically minded, but he always has a counter to everything Enjolras brings up. Sometimes serious, often not, but always said.

“Bullying is a legitimate problem that no one is taking seriously.” Enjolras would say.

“Without being bullied, none of us would be the people we are today.” Grantaire could say, or “Schools have not and will never take it seriously because they have just as much contempt for different kids as the bullies.”

“We need to be more environmentally conscious.” Enjolras would say.

“The environment never cared for me, why should I care for it?” Grantaire could say, or “Massive corporations are causing more damage than we, as individuals, can ever undo. Why try?”

“We should do everything in our power to raise awareness about injustice.” Enjolras would say.

“ _Something_ about me is raised when I’m aware about you.” Grantaire could say, or “Who will listen? We are either too rowdy or too quiet to be heard. There is no one listening.”

 

Grantaire never claimed to be charming, but within a month he was close with everyone in the ABC. He was friends with Jehan before, but that led to him being introduced to Joly, who he now accompanies on by-weekly movie ventures. Which left the other weeks for him to play board games with Bossuet and Musichetta, always taking hours and never leaving anyone feeling something that wasn't Fondness. 

He boxes with Bahorel and paints with Feuilly. Sometimes he paints Bahorel’s boxing gloves when they get old and Feuilly keeps them.

He gives dating advice to Marius one day and will give more advice to Cosette, because they’ve learned to trust him in a short amount of time but never trust themselves.

Eponine is pretty much his girlfriend (but not, Enjolras reminds himself) since they’re always together (but they’re not together, Enjolras reminds himself).

Courfeyrac loves to gossip with him, about what he will never know, and Enjolras assumed that he would debate with Combeferre, but no. He goes ‘hunting’ with him - for bugs, or rocks, or shells, or other science-y things even if Grantaire isn’t a scientist in training. Grantaire only debates with _him_.

Grantaire _only_ debates with him - he doesn’t know why they don’t hangout. He assumes that Grantaire actually can’t stand him, and if he wasn’t friends with everyone else he would stop coming. (He doesn’t know that to be true, Enjolras reminds himself.)

 

Grantaire never claimed to be interesting, but Enjolras felt like he was a puzzle. A never-ending puzzle, where the picture on the cover didn’t exactly match and there was so many pieces with more just being added. Everything he assumed about him was always proven wrong.

He assumed he just boxed with Bahorel, or just did it to work out, but he has _awards._ He won competitions, which he no longer does because he ‘wanted to focus on something else in his life’ and Enjolras had to google him to find out how many he’s won. It was seven.

He assumed that the notch in his nose was that he broke it while boxing, but Grantaire told him it was a different, more embarrassing story. Courfeyrac eventually had to tell him that it was when he was trying to save Bossuet from getting into a fight with a stranger when he misspoke about something, and he took his place for the punch. He apparently went out like a light and Bossuet also got a punch, so he didn’t feel like a hero.

He assumed that boxing was the only sport he's done, since he's wiry and that doesn't led itself for most athletic competitions. But no - he fenced at one point. He's a dancer currently. He's done gymnastics. He knows how to play  _three_ instruments on top of it all.   

He assumed that he wasn’t much of an artist since he never talked about it, but he once went to the art gallery in the college just for something to do, and there was his work. Casually hanging there, a secret until now. He sent a picture to Grantaire "I didn't know you were showcased" and received “oh yeah never liked that 1 lol”

He assumed that he knows everything he needed to know for someone who didn’t want to hang out with him, and yet here he was. Trying to find every piece of this puzzle. He was never one for puzzles but God he wanted to complete this one and he doesn’t care that he isn’t sure why.

 

Grantaire never claimed to be attractive, in fact he claimed the exact opposite. Vocally, constantly, repeatedly. Enjolras never agrees.

“I got a face like I got hit too many times and never recovered.” He joked when asked why he doesn’t take a lot of selfies, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Enjolras said that it all worked together (why did he say it right when it was getting quiet? He made it weird).

“I got Dumbo ears.” He teased when asked why he didn’t want piercings, but it had a bite. Enjolras said that a lot of people have ears larger than normal (why did he use that tone? Like he knows better than him about his own life).

“I got horrible fucking skin, it’s like a crepe.” Grantaire blurted out when he recoiled when Enjolras reached for a hand (why did he even do that? He’s still assuming that Grantaire hates him). He didn’t say anything to that, just respected the fact that he doesn’t want to touch and moved on.

Grantaire never said anything bad about his teeth, but Enjolras still noticed that he never had open mouthed smiles. He said to him, prompted only because he smiled, that no one should be ashamed of their teeth, since perfect teeth is a Hollywood creation and most people don’t have the time or money to fix them (why did he just blurt that out? All sudden and - oh, Grantaire smiled again. That’s why he said it.)

 

Grantaire never claimed to be friendly or kind or reliable, but Enjolras started to notice a pattern. He was always there when it was raining and Enjolras was waiting for the bus. He always offered a ride from his window when Enjolras was outside trying to stay dry.

At first, Enjolras didn’t take him up on the offer. Thinking it was a pity offer. Then he continued to not take him up on his offer, falling into a pattern.

Enjolras takes the bus three days a week, every week. It frequently rained. Grantaire was always there in the rain, offering a ride.

One day, it was cold enough to freeze in. Enjolras forget an umbrella at home and jacket at the café. Grantaire offered a ride. He took it, to the surprise of both of them.

At first, he thought it would be a step to a real friendship. Then they started arguing and he thought it would end up the same as always. “We have to be reaching out to make a difference -!”

“You don’t reach out.” Grantaire corrected, and Enjolras fell silent, hinting at him to please explain. “You speak out, but you don’t reach out. You do all these speeches, trying to educate the public and if they don’t listen, you just get louder.”

“Are you criticizing the way I do things?” Enjolras asked, trying to understand and not be hurt.

“No, I’m just pointing out the way you do things.” He spares him a glance even though he’s driving. “You’re loud, and vocal, but that’s not the only way to do things. Less dangerous. Not in the public eye.”

“Do you reach out?” Enjolras asks, and they park but he doesn’t want to even glance away from Grantaire to check if they arrived at his home.

Grantaire looks back at him (Enjolras assumed that his eyes were just blue, but they’re more. They’re like clean, unpolluted water) and says, “Do you want to find out this Saturday?”

“Sure.” He says, breathless. He might already have plans Saturday, but he will move things around. He gets out of the car eventually, but he didn’t want to.

 

Grantaire never claimed to be hard-working, but Enjolras finds out that he volunteers work around the community on a regular basis. That Saturday, he took Enjolras to the youth center, and it was not a date in any sense but Courfeyrac later teased him and said, ‘of course you would go on a date to improve the community.’ but it’s not a date.

Grantaire knew a lot of the teenagers by name and most really liked his presence. His heart skipped a beat when he joined in on a game with them for a short while.

Grantaire also knew the janitors well enough to help them without hesitation. He felt impossibly charmed when Grantaire offered to clean out the sink when Sandra complained it was her least favorite job to do.

Grantaire also has been doing work here for so much longer than Enjolras assumed. There was a completed mural that Grantaire said he started in high school and finished a year ago. He felt memorized and dazed looking upon it.

As soon as he got home, he called Joly and described everything he felt, assuming the worst. He didn’t mention that Grantaire was involved.

“Well, it probably isn’t a sickness.” Joly replied good naturedly. He was as panicked as Enjolras was at first, but as he described the symptoms, Joly turned less worried and more like he’s been there before. “I think it’s possible that you have a crush on someone.”

“I don’t think this has happened before.” Enjolras said. “Not this strong, I mean.”

“It was probably bound to happen.” And Enjolras didn’t know if he agreed with that. He kind of wish he didn’t, because Grantaire still doesn’t like him. Of course, the first person he gets a crush on in years is someone that actively disagrees with him and will most likely think he’s super weird for getting a crush on him, and if he tells him he would just get uncomfortable, and -

“Enjolras? You sound a bit strained.” Joly asks through the phone, anxious again.

“I’m not sure how to handle this.” He says, honestly, and Joly hangs up abruptly and is at his house in ten minutes with blankets and hot chocolate.

 

Grantaire never claimed to dislike him. Enjolras just assumed that he didn’t. To be fair, Enjolras never vocally claimed he didn’t dislike Grantaire either.

Enjolras made the first move. “I like you.”

Grantaire didn’t understand. “I like you too. That’s how friendships work.”

“That’s not what I meant. But I’m glad you think of us as friends. I think of us as friends, and I hope than we can continue to be friends after I say this - “

“What is it that you want to say, Apollo?”

Enjolras ignores the nickname he has never liked and continues. “I have a crush on you.”

“What?” He has never looked more confused in his life.

“I think I’ve had a crush on you for a long time, but I realized it recently.” Enjolras doesn’t know what to do with his hands. They keep fidgeting and he can’t control them. He lets them fidget.

Grantaire is silent for a long time. His hand fidget’s eventually turn into hand shakes. Enjolras never claimed to be eloquent when he’s this nervous and scared. “I’m sorry I made things weird. Everyone said that it wouldn’t make things weird but obviously I just did. You don’t have to respond if I made you uncomfortable, but I don’t want you to stop coming to the meetings since everyone would miss you. But don’t continue to come just because I asked I understand if you don’t want to anymore. I mean, I am the one that made it weird and uncomfortable - “

“Is this a joke?” Grantaire finally asks, and Enjolras desperately wishes he didn’t ask that.

“No, it’s not.” And his heart hurts for him since he felt the need to ask that. He moved to reach his hand out, but remembered the time when he already tried that. “Can I -?” he asked permission.

Grantaire hesitated, possibly not understanding what he was asking, but he eventually reached out himself and clasped their hands. His knuckles were pointy, and yes he did have uneven rough patches scattered around but Enjolras wouldn't describe it as crepe-y in any sense. 

“I know that if I just start describing reasons why I like you, you wouldn’t believe me.” Enjolras said, and the fact saddened him more. “And we would end up standing here for quite a while, so do you want to go somewhere, and we can talk about things?”

“Like a date?” He could ask that with his usual sarcasm, but it didn’t come out that way.

“Yes, like a date.” He wanted to be spontaneous and give him a kiss on the cheek, but he switched over to knew medication and it caused him to get some bad breakouts and it gave him another thing he’s insecure about, so Enjolras gave him a kiss on the knuckles instead, since he was already given permission for that.

 

Grantaire never claimed to be a good boyfriend, but he was. He was loving, and interesting, and kind and Enjolras learned to love all the things that Grantaire never claimed to be but is.  

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you liked it, comment?


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